"...it turned out that the stress of figuring out how to make ends meet was better than the stress of a dead end contract sapping my life and creativity away."

"...it turned out that the stress of figuring out how to make ends meet was better than the stress of a dead end contract sapping my life and creativity away." Talk about making lemonade out of lemons! Sounds like a swift kick in the ass is all you needed. Congrats on your successes!